The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, announced on Thursday that the Federal Government would have to lay off workers to be able to meet a wage bill of N580 billion needed to meet labour’s demand on the new wage.
Ngige told labour leaders in Abuja that the sum was what would be needed by the government to pay the consequential adjustments as demanded by labour.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister’s announcement is the latest in the increasing drama over payment of the new wage.
A Bill for the New Minimum Wage was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18.
Ngige was speaking when the leadership of the United Labour Congress (ULC), paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
Government and labour have been locked in an endless tussle over modalities for the payment of the new wage, long expected by workers.
Ngige said that the Federal Government was avoiding a situation where it would have to lay off workers, noting that throwing workers into unemployment would add to their burden.
The minister pleaded with labour to accept the consequential adjustment from levels 7 to 17, adding that the government had only three months left to implement the new wage.
